set yourself a challenge

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Sally-Anne Turner

So my story goes like this: I was a fitness instructor for 17 years. I worked teaching group exercise classes in most of the gyms in Wirral, I ran a massive campaign for the NHS tackling obesity, and I also worked in high schools teaching teenagers fitness. Two years ago, my husband needed help in his company, so I retired from fitness teaching – going from teaching the odd class to sitting at a desk being... lazy. The thought of motivation to exercise makes me knackered, but my body feels chunky, my belly feels wobbly, and I'm getting dinner lady arms. I'm about to turn 43 on Wednesday, so I'm setting a little challenge. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try 28 days of 20-minute exercise with as much healthy eating as possible (I really love my food, so I can only try). I will share my exercise tips every day for anyone wanting a little challenge. My diet aid is phentermine, my start weight is 11st 8. Tomorrow I will post my workout sets and will each day for the next 28 days.

This personal journey highlights something that so many people experience – the transition from an active lifestyle to a more sedentary one and the physical changes that come with it. Whether you've been a fitness professional like me, or you've simply found your activity levels dropping due to work commitments, family responsibilities, or life changes, the feeling of losing control over your body and health can be incredibly frustrating. What makes this challenge different is the honest acknowledgement that motivation doesn't always come naturally, even to those who've spent years helping others get fit. Sometimes, we need a structured approach, a clear goal, and the right support to get ourselves back on track.

The reality is that life transitions affect our bodies in ways we don't always anticipate. When you go from teaching multiple fitness classes each week to sitting at a desk for eight hours a day, your metabolism adjusts, your muscle tone changes, and your relationship with food can shift dramatically. You might find yourself reaching for snacks out of boredom rather than hunger, or lacking the energy to prepare healthy meals after a long day at work. These aren't failures of willpower – they're natural responses to changes in your daily routine and activity levels. Recognising this is the first step towards making positive changes that actually stick.

Setting a 28-day challenge is a smart approach for several reasons. Research consistently shows that it takes between 21 and 66 days to form a new habit, with the average being around two months. A 28-day challenge sits right in that sweet spot – it's long enough to start establishing new patterns and seeing real results, but short enough that it doesn't feel overwhelming when you're starting out. When you're struggling with motivation, the idea of committing to exercise "forever" can feel impossible, but committing to just 28 days? That's achievable. It's a timeframe that allows you to prove to yourself that you can do it, and often by the end of that period, the habits have become established enough that continuing feels natural rather than forced.

The choice to focus on 20-minute workouts is particularly clever and sustainable. One of the biggest barriers to exercise that people cite is lack of time. When you're working full-time, managing a household, and dealing with all of life's other demands, finding an hour or more for the gym can feel impossible. But 20 minutes? Everyone can find 20 minutes. You can do it before work, during your lunch break, or in the evening before dinner. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and circuit training approaches have demonstrated that short, focused workout sessions can be just as effective as longer gym sessions when done consistently. The key is intensity and consistency rather than duration.

What's particularly relatable about this challenge is the honest admission about food – "I really love my food so I can only try." This resonates with so many people who struggle with weight management. The diet industry has spent decades trying to convince us that we need to follow rigid meal plans, cut out entire food groups, or survive on tiny portions of foods we don't enjoy. But sustainable weight loss isn't about deprivation – it's about finding a way of eating that you can maintain long-term whilst still enjoying your meals. When someone says "I can only try" with healthy eating, that's actually a more realistic and ultimately more successful approach than claiming you'll follow a perfect diet. It acknowledges that there will be challenges, that you might not get it right every day, but that you're committed to making better choices overall.

The mention of phentermine as a diet aid is significant here. Phentermine is a prescription appetite suppressant that has been used safely and effectively for decades as part of medically supervised weight loss programmes. It works by affecting neurotransmitters in the brain that control appetite, helping to reduce hunger and make it easier to stick to a calorie-controlled diet. For someone who's struggling with motivation and finding it difficult to resist food cravings, phentermine can provide that extra support that makes the difference between success and another failed diet attempt. However, it's crucial to understand that phentermine is not a magic pill – it works best when combined with lifestyle changes like the exercise and healthy eating components of this challenge.

At Bodyline Clinic, we've supported over 100,000 patients with their weight loss journeys over the past 18 years, and we understand that medication like phentermine is most effective when it's part of a comprehensive, supported programme. We don't just prescribe medication and send you on your way – our specialist weight loss nurses work with you to develop a personalised plan that includes nutritional guidance, exercise recommendations, and ongoing support. This is exactly the kind of holistic approach that increases the chances of long-term success. When you combine appetite suppressant medication with increased physical activity and improved eating habits, you create a powerful synergy that addresses weight loss from multiple angles.

Starting weight of 11st 8 might not sound like a lot to some people, but weight management isn't just about the number on the scales – it's about how you feel in your body, your energy levels, your health markers, and your overall wellbeing. For someone who's 5'4" or 5'5", 11st 8 would put them in the overweight BMI category. More importantly, if you've gained weight relatively quickly after a lifestyle change, your body hasn't had time to adjust, and you're likely noticing the physical discomfort that comes with carrying extra weight – the "chunky" feeling, the "wobbly" belly, the changes in how your clothes fit. These physical sensations can be just as motivating (or demotivating) as any number on a scale.

The "dinner lady arms" comment is something that resonates with so many women in their 40s. As we age, our bodies naturally lose muscle mass – a process called sarcopenia that begins in our 30s and accelerates as we get older. When you combine this natural muscle loss with decreased activity levels and potential weight gain, the upper arms can become an area where these changes are particularly noticeable. The good news is that targeted strength training can help rebuild muscle tone in the arms, and overall weight loss will reduce fat deposits in this area. Including exercises like press-ups, tricep dips, bicep curls, and overhead presses in your 20-minute workout sessions can make a significant difference to arm tone over the course of 28 days.

Approaching 43 is a significant moment for many women. It's close enough to perimenopause that hormonal changes might be starting to affect your body, your metabolism, and your weight. Oestrogen levels begin to fluctuate in the years leading up to menopause, and these hormonal shifts can contribute to weight gain, particularly around the middle. They can also affect your energy levels, your sleep quality, and your motivation – all factors that make it harder to maintain a healthy weight. If you're experiencing these changes, it's worth discussing them with a healthcare professional. At Bodyline Clinic, we offer specialist support for women going through perimenopause and menopause, including hormone replacement therapy options that can help with weight management and overall wellbeing during this transition.

The commitment to sharing exercise tips every day for 28 days is valuable not just for the person setting the challenge, but for everyone who follows along. Accountability is one of the most powerful tools in behaviour change. When you publicly commit to something and share your progress regularly, you're much more likely to follow through. Social support and community can make the difference between giving up after a few days and pushing through to complete the full challenge. This is why group exercise classes, weight loss support groups, and online communities can be so effective – they provide that external accountability and encouragement that keeps you going when your own motivation wavers.

For anyone inspired to take on a similar challenge, here are some key principles to keep in mind. First, start where you are, not where you think you should be. If you haven't exercised regularly for months or years, don't try to jump straight into advanced workouts. Begin with exercises you can complete safely and build from there. Second, focus on consistency over perfection. It's better to do a moderate 20-minute workout every day than to plan an intense hour-long session that you only manage once or twice a week. Third, listen to your body. Some muscle soreness is normal when you start exercising, but sharp pain or discomfort that doesn't improve is a sign you need to modify your approach or seek professional advice.

When it comes to structuring your 20-minute workouts, there are several effective approaches you can take. Circuit training involves moving through a series of different exercises with minimal rest between them, working different muscle groups and keeping your heart rate elevated. A typical circuit might include exercises like squats, press-ups, lunges, planks, burpees, and mountain climbers, performed for 30-45 seconds each with 15 seconds rest between exercises. You might complete 2-3 rounds of the circuit within your 20-minute window. This approach builds both cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength, making it an efficient use of your limited time.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is another excellent option for short workout sessions. HIIT involves alternating between periods of intense effort and recovery. For example, you might sprint or do jumping jacks for 30 seconds, then walk or rest for 30 seconds, repeating this pattern throughout your workout. Research has shown that HIIT can be particularly effective for fat loss and improving cardiovascular fitness, and it can be adapted to any fitness level by adjusting the intensity of the work periods and the length of the recovery periods. Even 15-20 minutes of HIIT can provide significant benefits when done consistently.

Strength training focused workouts are also valuable, particularly for addressing concerns like "dinner lady arms" and maintaining muscle mass during weight loss. You might dedicate some sessions to upper body work (press-ups, tricep dips, bicep curls, shoulder presses), some to lower body (squats, lunges, glute bridges, calf raises), and some to core work (planks, crunches, bicycle crunches, leg raises). You don't need fancy equipment – bodyweight exercises and a set of dumbbells or resistance bands can provide an excellent workout. Building and maintaining muscle is particularly important during weight loss because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, helping to support your metabolism.

The nutrition component of this challenge – "as much healthy eating as possible" – deserves deeper exploration. When you're taking phentermine as an appetite suppressant, you'll likely find it much easier to reduce your portion sizes and resist cravings. However, it's important to make sure that the food you do eat is nutrient-dense and provides your body with what it needs to support your exercise routine and overall health. Focus on including plenty of protein at each meal (lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, tofu) as protein helps preserve muscle mass during weight loss and keeps you feeling satisfied. Include lots of vegetables and some fruit for vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Choose whole grains over refined carbohydrates when you do eat carbs, and don't be afraid of healthy fats from sources like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and oily fish.

One of the challenges when combining exercise with appetite suppressant medication is making sure you're eating enough to fuel your workouts. While phentermine helps reduce appetite, you still need adequate energy to exercise effectively and recover properly. Aim for at least 1200 calories per day for women (more if you're very active or tall), and try to time your meals so you have some energy available for your workouts. Many people find that eating a small snack containing protein and carbohydrate about an hour before exercise helps them perform better. After your workout, having a meal or snack with protein helps your muscles recover and rebuild.

Hydration is absolutely crucial when you're exercising regularly and taking appetite suppressant medication. Phentermine can cause dry mouth and may have a mild diuretic effect, so you need to be particularly conscious about drinking enough water. Aim for at least 2-3 litres of water per day, more if you're exercising intensely or it's hot weather. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, and reduced exercise performance, and it can also be mistaken for hunger, leading you to eat when what your body actually needs is water. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and sip regularly rather than trying to drink large amounts all at once.

Sleep is another factor that's often overlooked but crucial for weight loss success. When you're not getting enough quality sleep, your body produces more of the hunger hormone ghrelin and less of the fullness hormone leptin, making it much harder to control your appetite. Poor sleep also affects your energy levels, making it more difficult to find the motivation to exercise. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Some people find that phentermine can affect their sleep if taken too late in the day, so it's typically recommended to take it in the morning. If you're having trouble sleeping, discuss this with your healthcare provider as they may be able to adjust your medication timing or dosage.

Tracking your progress throughout the 28-day challenge can be incredibly motivating, but it's important to track more than just the number on the scales. Weight can fluctuate significantly from day to day due to water retention, hormonal changes, and other factors, so weighing yourself daily can be misleading and discouraging. Instead, consider weighing yourself once a week at the same time of day under the same conditions (for example, first thing in the morning after using the bathroom but before eating or drinking). Also take measurements of your waist, hips, thighs, and arms at the start and end of the challenge. You might lose inches even when the scale doesn't move much, particularly if you're building muscle through your exercise routine.

Non-scale victories are often the most meaningful indicators of progress. Notice how your clothes fit, how you feel when climbing stairs, whether you're sleeping better, if you have more energy throughout the day, whether your mood has improved, and if you're feeling stronger and more capable in your daily activities. These changes in how you feel and function are ultimately more important than any number on a scale, and they're what will motivate you to maintain your new habits beyond the initial 28-day challenge. Take photos at the start and end of the challenge too. Any visual progress can be incredibly motivating, and often we can see changes in photos that we don't notice when looking in the mirror every day.

At Bodyline Clinic, we have seven locations across the Northwest of England, including clinics in Birkenhead, Liverpool, Manchester, St Helens, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, and Warrington, as well as online consultation services available UK-wide. Our approach to weight loss combines prescription medications like phentermine with comprehensive support from our specialist weight loss nurses. We understand that medication alone isn't enough – sustainable weight loss requires changes to eating habits, increased physical activity, and ongoing support to help you navigate challenges and stay motivated. Our nurses provide personalised guidance on nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes, and they're available to answer questions and provide encouragement throughout your weight loss journey.

For someone embarking on a 28-day challenge like this, having professional support can make a significant difference to your success rate. Our nurses can help you set realistic goals, troubleshoot problems when you hit plateaus or face setbacks, and adjust your medication dosage if needed. They can also provide advice on managing side effects, ensuring you're eating enough to support your activity level, and transitioning off medication when you've reached your goals. This level of support is what sets medically supervised weight loss programmes apart from trying to go it alone, and it's why our patients achieve such impressive results.

The beauty of a 28-day challenge is that it's a defined period with a clear endpoint, which makes it feel achievable even when you're struggling with motivation. However, the real goal isn't just to get through 28 days. It's to use those 28 days to establish habits and routines that you can maintain long-term. By the end of the challenge, that 20-minute workout should feel like a normal part of your daily routine rather than something you have to force yourself to do. The healthy eating patterns you've established should feel sustainable rather than restrictive. And ideally, you'll have seen enough positive results – whether that's weight loss, improved fitness, better sleep, more energy, or simply feeling more in control – that you're motivated to continue.

One of the most common pitfalls after completing a challenge like this is the "what now?" moment. You've finished your 28 days, you've achieved some results, and then you're not sure how to maintain your progress. This is where having a plan for what comes next is crucial. Will you set another challenge with different goals? Will you continue with the same routine but perhaps increase the difficulty? Will you join a gym or exercise class to add variety and social support? Will you transition to a maintenance phase with your medication, or begin to taper off it? Having these conversations with your healthcare provider before you reach the end of your challenge helps ensure you don't lose momentum.

It's also important to acknowledge that challenges and setbacks are a normal part of any weight loss journey. You might have days where you don't feel like exercising, where you make less healthy food choices, or where the scales don't show the progress you hoped for. These moments don't mean you've failed – they're just part of the process. What matters is how you respond to them. Do you use one difficult day as an excuse to give up entirely, or do you acknowledge it, learn from it, and get back on track the next day? The ability to bounce back from setbacks is one of the strongest predictors of long-term weight loss success.

For anyone inspired to start their own challenge, here's a practical framework you can follow. First, define your specific goals – what do you want to achieve in 28 days? Be realistic and specific. "Lose some weight" is too vague; "lose 6-8 pounds and complete 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 days per week" is clear and measurable. Second, plan your approach – what type of exercise will you do? What changes will you make to your eating? Do you need any equipment or support? Third, identify potential obstacles and plan how you'll overcome them. What will you do if you're too tired to exercise one day? How will you handle social events where unhealthy food is on offer? Having these plans in place before you start increases your chances of success.

Create accountability for yourself, whether that's by sharing your challenge publicly like this story does, finding a friend to do it with you, joining an online community, or working with a professional like the nurses at Bodyline Clinic. Schedule your exercise sessions in your calendar like any other important appointment – they're not optional extras to fit in if you have time, they're commitments to yourself and your health. Prepare your environment for success by having healthy foods readily available, keeping your workout clothes where you can see them, and removing or reducing access to foods that tend to derail your efforts.

The decision to share workout tips daily throughout the challenge is generous and can help others, but it also serves another important purpose – it keeps you accountable and engaged with your own challenge. When you're helping others, you're more likely to follow through yourself. This is one reason why former fitness instructors often make successful weight loss coaches – they understand the principles of effective exercise and healthy eating, but they also understand the psychological and motivational challenges that come with making lifestyle changes. Just because someone knows what they should do doesn't mean they find it easy to do it consistently, and acknowledging this gap between knowledge and action is important.

If you're considering prescription weight loss medication as part of your own journey, it's important to understand that medications like phentermine are only available through prescription from a qualified healthcare provider. At Bodyline Clinic, we conduct thorough assessments before prescribing any medication to ensure it's safe and appropriate for you. We check your medical history, current medications, blood pressure, and weight-related health markers. We explain how the medication works, what side effects you might experience, and how to use it safely and effectively. This level of medical oversight is crucial for your safety and for achieving the best possible results.

Phentermine is typically prescribed for short-term use (usually 12 weeks at a time) as part of a comprehensive weight management programme. It's not intended as a long-term solution, but rather as a tool to help you establish healthier habits and achieve initial weight loss that can then be maintained through lifestyle changes. Some people do use it for longer periods under medical supervision, particularly if they have significant amounts of weight to lose, but this is always done with regular monitoring and assessment. The goal is always to help you reach a point where you can maintain a healthy weight without medication, supported by the habits and knowledge you've gained during your treatment.

The cost of medically supervised weight loss treatment is often a concern for people considering this option. At Bodyline Clinic, we strive to make our services accessible and affordable. Our programmes include not just the medication, but also regular consultations with our specialist nurses, personalised advice and support, and access to our online resources. When you consider the cost of gym memberships, diet programmes, supplements, and other weight loss approaches that many people try without success, medically supervised treatment with proven effectiveness can actually represent good value. We also offer various programme options to suit different budgets and needs.

Book a no-obligation consultation at Bodyline Clinic to discuss how our weight loss treatments could support your own 28-day challenge and beyond. Our specialist nurses can assess your individual situation, discuss treatment options, answer your questions, and help you develop a personalised plan that fits your lifestyle and goals. Whether you're a former fitness instructor who's struggled to maintain your own health, a busy professional with limited time for exercise, or anyone in between, we can provide the medical support and practical guidance you need to achieve sustainable weight loss. With locations across the Northwest and online consultations available throughout the UK, accessing expert weight loss support has never been easier.

The journey from fitness instructor to desk worker and back to an active lifestyle is one that many people can relate to in some form. Life changes, priorities shift, and sometimes our health takes a backseat to other demands. But the wonderful thing about the human body is that it's never too late to make positive changes. Whether you're 43 or 73, whether you've been inactive for two years or twenty, your body will respond to increased activity and improved nutrition. You might not get back to exactly where you were in your twenties, but you can certainly improve significantly from where you are now. And that improvement – in how you look, how you feel, and how you function in your daily life – is what really matters.

This 28-day challenge represents a commitment to self-care and health that goes beyond just losing a few pounds. It's about reclaiming control over your body, proving to yourself that you can set a goal and achieve it, and establishing habits that will support your health for years to come. It's about finding that balance between enjoying food and making healthy choices, between being realistic about your limitations and pushing yourself to improve. And it's about recognising that sometimes we need help – whether that's in the form of accountability from sharing our journey publicly, support from healthcare professionals, or medical interventions like appetite suppressant medication – and that asking for and accepting that help is a sign of strength, not weakness.